Missing the Mark
by CrazilyObsessed
Summary: Friendless and abandoned, abnormal is something Emilie's grown used to living in an orphanage. That all changes when she learns of magic. But she's a bigger part of the magical world than she knows—she just happens to be missing the mark to prove it.
1. Chapter 1

**First Harry Potter fanfic! I ran this by two friends and they really enjoyed the story so I hope you all do too. Have fun and enjoy!**

Chapter 1

It was a warm summer day in Elmont, New York. Kids were all playing in the streets and in the parks, all ecstatic about the time of year. A small playground sat in the caged in yard of a dank orphanage; children filled a particularly crowded swing set, laughing and playfully jumping off the swings. A young black-haired girl walked over to the swings, instantly silencing the obnoxious children. She glared at them, her piercing green eyes boring into each of their skulls, willing them all to leave her alone. One by one, the children began making up excuses for why they had to leave. She laughed inwardly at her handiwork and sat down on the swings, fiddling with the golden locket around her neck, by herself.

This was how it had always been, ever since she could remember, she had always been alone and very much different. She had always been the cause of weird accidents and was always able to make something bad occur when she was immensely scared or angry. All of the other orphans were either somewhat frightened of her, bullied her, or left her alone unless they were itching to cause trouble. Her name was Emilie, just Emilie. All of the other kids in the orphanage had last names, whether they picked them themselves or not, except her. And that was just how she liked it.

Two men were approaching Emilie from behind, seemingly to have appeared out of thin air. Emilie looked up at the men who stopped to stand on both sides of her. With curiosity in her eyes Emilie tried to rid her face of emotion to be less vulnerable. Emilie had learned early on that the world is full of nasty people, and to defend yourself, you've got to act as if you didn't care. Emilie was actually fairly curious of these two odd men. Emilie wondered if the men were there to adopt her and for one moment, Emilie felt happy. Yet, as quick as her spirits soared, they dropped. _What kind of a stupid thought was that? No one wanted to adopt a freak._ Emilie frowned and stared at the ground, mildly depressed.

After a moment of silence, curiosity got the better of her causing Emilie to look up. "Who are you?"

The first man, significantly older than the second with a long white beard and bright blue eyes, smiled kindly down at her. "My name is Albus Dumbledore," the old man said softly, gesturing to himself. "This here is Severus Snape," he continued, motioning to the hooked-nosed man beside him. As if to acknowledge his introduction, Snape flicked his greasy hair to reveal his cold black eyes.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Emilie. Just Emilie." She said, politely introducing herself.

"Yes, we know who you are Miss Emilie. We have something here for you, and I have personally asked to deliver it myself. Today is your eleventh birthday, is it not?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"Yeah! How'd ya know?" Emilie asked, smiling brightly for the first time in a long time.

"Oh, I have my ways." Dumbledore answered vaguely. He then proceeded to take out an envelope from his robe pocket, and give it to Emilie.

"Is it a present?" Emilie asked excitedly, "I've never gotten a present before, the orphanage can't afford them. Although, sometimes I get a piece of candy."

"Yes, a gift. An opportunity." Dumbledore said.

Emilie carefully opened the envelope and took out the sheets of paper. The first sheet read:

The Ballard Institute

for the

Remote Developing Sorcerers

Headmistress: Tenaya Archer

Dear Miss Emilie,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Ballard Institute for the Remote Developing Sorcerers, more informally known as BIRDS. Please find and/or purchase all required books and equipment that are listed on the next sheet.

The school year begins September 1st. We await your phone call or letter.

Sincerely,

Tenaya Archer

Headmistress

"Sorcerer! Does that mean I'm a witch?" Emilie asked eagerly.

"Yes my dear, it does. Now I'm afraid I must leave, they're other things I must attend to. Severus here will take you to get all of the equipment and books you will need for school." Dumbledore said, turning around to leave.

"Excuse me, Professor." Snape said, speaking for the first time, Dumbledore turned around in response. "Shall I take her to Diagon Alley? I do not know of any Wizarding center here in New York."

"Ah, yes. One moment." Dumbledore said, walking over to a deflated ball nearby. Dumbledore picked up the ball, turned his back on the playground and Emilie, mumbled a few words, and a blue light emitted in his hands. Dumbledore turned back around and handed the deflated ball to Snape.

"Thank you Professor." Snape mumbled. Emilie looked at the deflated ball in Snape's hands and when she looked up again, Dumbledore was gone.

Emilie was filled with shock, puzzlement, and happiness as she was pulled from her swing by Snape. Never in her life did Emilie believe that anything like this could happen, especially to her. Emilie continued to let herself get pulled by Snape over to a more secluded area. Fear flashed through Emilie as she realized what this odd man might do now that that they were near no prying eyes.

Snape's eyes swept around, scanning for any stray children, before looking back at Emilie and holding the deflated ball out. "Now, on the count of three I want you to touch the ball." Snape said. Emilie nodded warily, uncertain of what the ball might do. "Ready. One. . . Two. . . Three." Emilie felt a tug at the pit of her stomach before getting pulled into the ball. Emilie closed her eyes as she felt herself getting pulled this way and that. Only when Emilie felt her feet hit the solid ground, did she open her eyes.

Emilie gasped at the sight before her. Emilie was suddenly in a whole new world. People were bustling busily around her, all wearing odd robes, much like Dumbledore and Snape. At the thought of Snape, Emilie looked around, and when she looked back in front of her, she was surprised to see Snape there.

"How'd you do that? Where are we?" Emilie questioned, looking around in awe. "We're in London, England. This is Diagon Alley. You will buy all your wizarding supplies here" Snape answered, not making eye contact. Emilie just realized that Snape had been acting cold and had avoided eye contact since they had met. Emilie, in an effort to be friendlier and not get lost, grabbed Snape's hand. Snape looked down at their hands in shock with a hint of disgust but did not remove his hand from hers. Taking this as a good sign, Emilie pulled them over to the nearest shop which happened to be Flourish and Blotts.

After spending the rest of the day of gathering all of Emilie's school supplies—purchased with a small bag of gold Dumbledore had given Snape—Snape took Emilie into the Leaky Cauldron for some butterbeer. "This day, has been the best in my entire life!" Emilie announced as she sat bouncing in her seat. "Who knew that there were such things as witches, and wizards, and magic?" A small smile graced Snape's lips as he watched the energetic Emilie.

"It's time to get back." Snape said softly.

Emilie suddenly stopped her bouncing and stared shocked at Snape. "But why? It's only- 3 o' clock!" Emilie whined, pulling out a small golden locket. The locket was heart shaped, somewhat thick, and about the size of a quarter. On the front was an intricate design going around a rim and four people's initials were engraved in cursive; L.E.P., J.P., H.J.P., and E.R.P. On the back was a small clock with a small ruby in the center.

Emilie noticed Snape's curious stare and said, "It was around my neck when the orphanage found me. I don't know what the initials mean but I know that the red ruby represents my birth month, July." Emilie played with the locket absentmindedly as she stared out the window. "I've never been able to open it. Do you think magic could?"

"May I have a closer look?" Snape asked, ignoring Emilie's question. Emilie carefully undid the latch and gave Snape the locket. Snape studied the engraved letters carefully, running his thumb lightly over them. Emilie heard Snape mutter something, but what he said was unclear.

"Er, Mr. Snape?" Emilie called softly. Emilie didn't know if Snape couldn't hear her or if he was ignoring her. "Mr. Snape." Emilie called again, her voice louder this time. "Mr. Snape. . . Snape! . . . SNAPE! Severus!" Snape seemed to be pulled out of his reverie as he heard his first name being called.

"Yes?" Snape questioned. Emilie wondered why Snape seemed transfixed with her locket. Maybe he knew what letters meant, Emilie thought hopefully. In fact, looking at Snape's expression Emilie knew that Snape knew what the letters meant. "You know what the letters mean don't you." This wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Perhaps." Snape answered vaguely. "But this question should not be answered by me."

"Then who should I ask?" Emilie asked, eager to know what lay engraved on her locket. Snape ignored Emilie's question and got to his feet. Snape pulled the deflated ball out of his robes, signaling the end of their conversation and that it was time to go home.

When Emilie arrived back at the playground with her trunk full of wizarding things, a feeling of panic overcame her. Was Snape going to leave at that moment? How was she going to get to her school? Where _was_ her school? What would she do for holidays and breaks? What would happen when summer came again? These questions ran through Emilie's mind at the speed of light, causing Emilie to not notice Snape pulling out a thin black leather bracelet with a small silver charm.

"Here, I want you to have this." Snape said giving Emilie the bracelet. Emilie studied the black bracelet carefully and when her fingertips grazed the small flower charm, the flower opened and closed like an oyster. Emilie gasped at the brilliance of this small bracelet. "It's beautiful. Thanks." Emilie whispered, slipping the bracelet onto her wrist and completely forgetting about her worries.

"I'll be back on the first of September to take you to the subway station so you can get to school." Snape said softly.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Emilie asked. "Why can't you stay 'til the school year starts? You could teach me a ton of spells in the mean time!"

Snape looked at Emilie sympathetically. "Underage wizards aren't allowed to use magic outside of school." Snape said with a small frown.

"Oh." Emilie said sadly, choosing to stare down at the ground to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"Well, I guess I could show you how to make a few simple potions." Snape said.

"Really!" Emilie squeaked, excitement bubbling up inside her. "Does that mean you'll stay?" So much hope was shinning in Emilie's eyes that it would be hard for anyone to say no.

"For now." came his quiet reply.

**Everyone say thanks to strukkfirst! She helped me with corrections and crap like that! I hope you liked my story! Ta ta for now! Keep reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Time Skip 2 Years:

Emilie sat patiently on her trunk as she stared down the dwindling road of Larch Avenue. She was absentmindedly fiddling with the long golden locket around her neck, something she tended to be a lot doing lately. She jumped off of her trunk as a man with long black hair and a hooked-nose approached, causing a small tawny owl in a cage beside her hoot. Both stood completely still as they looked at each other, but in a matter of moments Emilie was rushing towards the tall figure with a grand smile on her face.

"Severus!" Emilie said, hugging Severus Snape, her new foster father. "You're late." Emilie commented as she let go of Snape. Snape shook his head slightly in amusement and brought out an old deflated ball from his robes. Emilie smiled and rushed back to the orphanage steps to lug her trunk, owl cage, and messenger bag over.

"Ready?" Snape asked. Emilie bit her lip nervously but nodded her head, sticking her hand out so it hovered over that ball. "You know the drill." On the count of three, Emilie grabbed onto the ball and was pulled into it by her naval. In the blink of an eye she was standing in Kings Cross, Snape standing beside her with her trunk, owl, and a trolley. Emilie looked around curiously while walking along side Snape to platform 9 ¾.

After flinching as she walked as casual as possible through the stone wall between platforms nine and ten (nothing ever seemed to cease to surprise her) Emilie looked amongst the crowd for a specific familiar face. As she finally caught sight of a tall handsome boy chatting with a few of his friends, she failed to notice the staring eyes that watched her and Snape. Emilie ran as fast as she could, nearly running over a boy around her age with black hair and glasses, over to the tall boy. Fortunately, Cedric Diggory caught sight of Emilie and opened his arms out for her before she could plow him down.

"Cedric!" Emilie shouted, jumping happily into his arms and laughing as Cedric spun her around.

"Emilie! It's great to see you! Are you excited?" Cedric asked, smiling brightly and putting Emilie down.

"Uh duh! I've been looking forward to this all summer!" Emilie exclaimed, now looking back for Snape. "Speaking of which how was yours?"

"Great! Dad and I took your advice and traveled to Yosemite. You were right! It is beautiful," Cedric answered.

"Isn't it? When Severus and I went last year, we, actually more like I, went rock climbing and rafting and we even went to this Native Am-" A cough interrupted Emilie and made her look back and finally notice Cedric's friends standing there awkwardly. "Oh! Sorry, I'm Emilie!" Emilie said thrusting her hand out for them to shake.

Cedric's friends looked at Emilie somewhat exasperatedly, causing her to roll her eyes in annoyance and drop her hand. "Ok be that way. I gotta go, Severus is probably looking for me," Emilie told Cedric who nodded understandingly.

As Emilie snaked her way back through the crowd, she thought about when she had first met Cedric on her first trip to Diagon Alley with Snape. They had met in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, and Cedric had been kind enough to answer some of Emilie's questions about Wizarding School after he overheard her harassing Snape for answers. Before Emilie left the shop, Cedric told her to write to him if she had any more questions, and from that day forward, Emilie and Cedric had been great friends.

Emilie finally caught sight of Snape standing motionless at the side of the train. Emilie rushed over to him and smiled brightly up at Snape as his features softened at the sight of her. Silently, Snape helped Emilie load her trunk and owl onto the train. Emilie quickly hoped on the train and turned around to see Snape walking away.

"Wait!" Emilie called, causing many people to look at her curiously. "Aren't you coming?"

Snape shook his head. "I'll be arriving by other means. I'll meet you there." With that, Snape dissaparated with a loud 'pop'.

Emilie shrugged her shoulders and ventured further onto the train. Emilie dragged her trunk and owl cage into the nearest vacant compartment and stored her things safely on the racks provided. Emilie pulled out a rather large _Advanced Potions_ book from her bag and continued reading from where she had left off, instantly getting caught up in the various potions. In fact she was so distracted by her book that she did not notice two people enter her compartment and plop themselves down in the seats across from her. Emilie only looked up when she heard a loud yelp.

A girl around Emilie's age, with long dirty blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, was hopping around clutching her hand and repeatedly screeching "Ow!" Emilie watched in amusement as the girl swore at her hand for being a 'freaking git'.

"What happened?" Emilie asked, marking her page and setting down her book.

"It bit me!" The blonde exclaimed, pointing at a large book stowed in a cage beneath the seat. Emilie laughed and pulled out her wand from sweatshirt pocket. After a flick of her wrist and a quiet incantation, the book's jaws were clamped shut.

"How did you do that?" The blonde asked, forgetting about her bleeding hand.

"Simple incantation. I learned it my first year." Emilie answered nonchalantly.

"I just put peanut-butter in mine." The other girl said softly. Emilie now took a good look at her, noticing her long stringy blonde hair and distant blue eyes. Both girls were very pretty but seemed off and out of place. Emilie liked them already.

"I'm Emilie. Just Emilie." She said introducing herself.

"I'm Hannah Stroud and that's Luna Lovegood," said the blonde, gesturing first to herself, then to the other girl. "I've never seen you before, what year are you in?"

"Year? Oh yeah, sorry. I'm supposed to be a third year. I think." Emilie said remembering what Cedric had said about years being the equivalent to grades.

"Really? What house are you in?" Hannah asked, quickly repairing her hand with a flick of her wand and sitting down across from Emilie.

"I'm not in one. Yet. It's my first day here." Emilie answered, eager yet uncertain on sharing her story.

"Why are you attending so late?" Luna asked dreamily.

"Well I'm from America and I was attending a school there but my new foster father lives here in England so I'll be attending Hogwarts in the years to come." Emilie said briefly.

"Well that's wonderful! What school did you go to before? You don't sound French and you said that you were from America so you're obviously not from Beauxbatons." Hannah blabbed.

"I went to The Ballard Institute for the Remote Developing Sorceress. BIRDS for short. It's very much similar to Hogwarts with a few exceptions." Emilie explained.

"Really? What's it like?" Hannah pestered.

"Er- well each house was named after a bird: The Eagles, the Owls, the Doves, and the Ravens. The Eagles have all the brave and determined students, the Owls have the smartest and most intuitive, the Doves have the most loyal and friendly, and the Ravens have the quickest, the slyest and usually the most powerful. It's a shame they don't realize their true potential or just use it for cruelty." Emilie said, shrugging her shoulders sadly. "Instead of having only seven or eight classes we have fifteen to sixteen classes, each class lasting an hour but only having certain classes on certain days. Oh and we don't just have Quidditch teams, we have baseball, soccer, lacrosse, tennis, volleyball, and hockey. Other than that, everything's the same."

"Brilliant! Where was this school?" Hannah asked, leaning forward.

"Oh, New York. It was in Alleghany Park."

"New York? Does that mean you've seen popcotton?" Luna asked happily.

"Popcotton? What's popcotton?" Emilie asked, confused.

"They're small little creatures that latch onto you and make you talk gibberish. They're quite annoying." Luna explained.

"I don't believe I have. Are they found more often in New York?" Emilie asked, now curious.

"Yes, they're commonly found in America but they're rather hard to see."

"Well that explains a lot.' Emilie mumbled vaguely.

"So do you know what house you might be in?" Hannah asked.

"Well I was placed in the Eagles so I assume I'll be placed in Gryffindor. Correct?" Hannah nodded in response. "Well what about you? What houses are you guys in?"

"Oh, we're both in Ravenclaw," Hannah started.

"But they call me Loony and her the Dimmest Ravenclaw. They find us quite different." Luna finished, looking back out the window. Emilie then realized that they had been already traveling for quite some time now.

There was a moment of silence before, once again, curiosity got the better of Emilie causing her to speak.

"Do you know who Sev- I mean _Professor_ Snape, is?" Emilie asked timidly.

"Yeah, he's the potions master and the head of the Slytherin house." Hannah answered.

"I didn't know that he was the head of the Slytherin house." Emilie mumbled.

"Why do you ask?" Luna asked.

"Oh, no reason." Emilie answered.

"No really, what is it?" Hannah asked softly.

"Oh, well-er I- I." Emilie fumbled before sighing. "Do you guys really want to know?" Emilie asked. Both girls nodded their heads slowly.

"Okay. So Sev- I mean Snape, he's-he's- he's my new foster father." Emilie blurted.

"Snape?" Hannah asked incredulously. "The same potions master and head of Slytherin house Snape?"

"Yes, I've known him for two years now. He and Dumbledore came to visit when I turned eleven. Since then I've been in contact with Se-nape and we always travel and he teaches me all of these potions and tricks during the summer." Emilie said happily.

"Dumbledore visited you? Personally?" Hannah asked in a stunned tone.

"Yeah, he's a very nice man. He was the one who came up with the foster father idea. He knew how much I adored Hogwarts and how I love being around Snape. We both loved the idea."

"I never knew Snape had a soft side." Hannah mumbled honestly.

"Snape's a very nice person. In fact he gave me this the first day I met him." Emilie said, pulling black her sweatshirt sleeve to reveal a thin black bracelet with a small silver charm.

"He gave this to you? The first day you met him?" Hannah said, examining Emilie's bracelet.

"Yeah, and check this out." Emilie gentle touched the silver charm, causing it to bloom like an oyster into a beautiful small flower.

"Did he also give you that locket?" Luna asked, pointing at the locket that was partially hidden by Emilie's sweatshirt.

Emilie's smile was replaced by a frown as she reached up to hold onto her locket. "No, it- it was around my neck when the orphanage found me. Totally cliché I know but, it's the only thing I have left of my family." She said softly, fiddling with her locket.

"Do you have any siblings?" Luna asked at the same time Hannah asked, "What happened?"

"There are four initials on my locket so I assume I at least have one brother or sister. To what has happened, I would like to know that myself." Emilie said sadly, imagining a life where she actually had a family.

"What's inside?" Luna asked gently.

"Don't know. I've never been able to open it." Emilie answered, twirling her locket.

"Well have you tr-" Hannah started but Emilie cut in with a quite aggravated tone.

"No. It doesn't matter what spell, charm, potion or even curse I use, it will. Not. Open!" Emilie seethed. It was obvious that Emilie's tone and sudden change of temper was caused by her mysterious locket and not Hannah nor Luna but all girls kept their mouth shut as silence flooded over them.

"We should probably get changed. We're almost at the castle." Hannah said breaking the silence.

In a few minutes, Hannah and Luna were in their Ravenclaw robes and typical uniform while Emilie was just wearing her white button-up shirt and plain black skirt. The compartment door slid open and in walked a slim girl with long brown hair and dull brown eyes.

"Hannah!" The girl called, her Hufflepuff robes flowing behind her as she raced to sit down next to Hannah. "How are you? I just heard the most splendid things about you! Are they true?"

"Hello Katy," Hannah said coolly. "What things have you heard?"

"Oh just something about you spending the holidays _reading_. I didn't know you could read?" Katy said rudely.

"Excuse me?" Emilie blurted, angry that anyone could say that to Hannah, a girl Emilie now considered a friend.

"And who are you?" Katy said, looking at Emilie distastefully.

"I'm Emilie, and I think you should leave." She said, glaring at Katy.

"_You're_ Emilie? The goody-goody that practically molested poor Cedric?"

"Excuse me?" Emilie shrieked, her temper rising fast.

"Are you deaf or something? Must be blind too with the people you're hanging out with." Katy retorted.

"Ok first of all, Cedric is my friend and all I did was hug him. Is there something wrong with hugging? Second of all, speak to or about my friends or myself like that again and I won't even hesitate to hex you. Third of all, how am I a freaking goody-goody?" Emilie exclaimed.

"You were talking to Professor Snape." Katy said in a 'duh' tone. "And don't _ever _talk to me like that again. I can make your life hell."

"Too late," Emilie grumbled. "Already is."

Katy huffed before storming out of the compartment. Emilie slowly unclenched her fists and took a deep breath and noticed that Hannah and Luna were smiling at her. "What?" She asked.

"Thanks," Hannah said briefly.

"No problem," Emilie said.

"That was very brave of you. Not many ever stand up to Katy, especially since she's a few years older. She also has a nasty habit of lying." Luna said softly. "And do you really consider us friends?"

"Yeah, of course I do." Emilie said smiling. "But why is she acting like such a complete jerk?"

"Oh, well we used to be great friends but last year I really fancied Oliver Wood and we we're actually good friends for a little bit and I guess that really set her off. In my defense, I didn't know she liked him." Hannah said, holding up her hands in mock-surrender

All three girls were laughing lightly when the train lurched to a stop, causing them to fall out of their seats and all of their belongings to crash to the floor.

"We can't possibly be there yet." Hannah muttered, pulling herself up from the floor and looking curiously out the window.

Suddenly the lights went out and there were a few shouts and screams from the other compartments. "Is anyone else cold?" Luna asked simply.

**Seven pages! Seven whole pages! I'm pretty sure the last chapter was only five. This chapter was dedicated to strukkfirst and 1143am, for your inspiration ;) And yes Hannah, you do hop. Well, I hope you guys liked it! Keep reading or Continuez ****à** **lire! Aurevoir! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry! Long story short: Sister came home, took over room where my chapters were, then threw out my written chapters so I had to start all over again. Plus I broke my wrist, thanks strukkfirst! It's not as good as my other chapters but I tried my best! Enjoy.**

Chapter 3:

Emilie's hand instinctively flew to her sweatshirt pocket where her wand stayed safely stowed. "Lumos." Emilie whispered, her wand instantly lighting up at the tip. No one dared move from their seats but Emilie still felt complied to say "No one go near the door."

Luna, who had directed her attention from the window to the door, looked back out the window and gasped.

"What?" Emilie whispered urgently, keeping her wand raised and pointing at the door but let her eyes dart over to the lone window.

"I just saw something dark pass the window." Luna said softly.

"Are there any blinds?" Hannah whispered urgently.

"No." Was Luna's short answer.

"Move away from the window and door." Emilie whispered. "I'm going to put out my light so that whoever's out there doesn't know anyone's in here."

"Nox." The only source of light in the small room went out and all the girls could do now was wait and listen.

"Do you guys hear that?" Emilie asked, a faint cry ringing in her ears.

"Hear what?" Hannah asked but was immediately shushed by Emilie. The crying was getting louder and she now realized that it sounded like the cry of babies and their mothers. Suddenly a dark figure passed the compartment door causing the girls to gasp.

Another cry started ringing in Emilie's ears and she realized that this was now the scream of an older woman. Emilie suddenly got very dizzy and a bright bluish light emitted from somewhere near the girls' compartment. The lights flickered back on and all three girls let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding.

Hannah noticed Emilie clutching her head and asked, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. Did you guys hear that scream?" Emilie asked, ignoring the dull pain emitting from her temples.

"What scream?" Hannah and Luna both asked at once. Suddenly a scream was heard from the hallway.

"That one?" Luna asked, returning to her dreamy and dazed state. Emilie and Hannah ignored her comment and rushed out the door and into the hallway where a lone girl stood.

"Lavender." Hannah called, rushing forward and softly touching her arm. "What's wrong?"

From where Emilie stood, she could not hear what exactly Lavender was saying but, by straining her ears, Emilie was able to catch a snid-bit of what Lavender was saying. Something about 'dementors' and a 'harry plopper'? The train lurched forward, moving once again, causing Lavender to snap out of her shocked façade. Suddenly Lavender was sprinting down the corridor shouting, "HARRY POTTER JUST FAINTED!"

The corridor was soon filled with students trying to catch a glimpse of an unconscious Potter. Luna appeared by Emilie's side and instantly she and Hannah were pulling Emilie through the crowd and toward the compartment. As soon as they reached the compartment, a girl with fiery red hair pulled them in and slammed the door shut behind them.

"Merlin these people are annoying." Hannah mumbled. "Is he alright?"

Emilie looked at the boy Hannah was pointing to and assumed he was the Harry Potter that Lavender was yelling about. Emilie knew that the name was familiar and after taking in the boy's shaggy black hair and glasses, she knew she had seen him before.

"He'll be alright." A worn looking man said. _Must be a teacher,_ Emilie thought. She also noticed that the said teacher was staring at her rather curiously, his eyes occasionally shifting the 'Harry Potter' kid that lay unconscious at her feet. Emilie stood taller and kept her chin held high as she realized the teacher wasn't the only one staring.

"Hannah," A girl with warm brown eyes and a bushy mane for hair spoke softly, "Who is this?"

Before Hannah could respond Emilie said, "You could just ask me ya know."

"Fine then who are you?" The bushy haired girl sneered.

"I'm Emilie, you?" Emilie said curtly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I'm Hermione Granger, and it's rather rude to not give your last name when introducing yourself" Hermione huffed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Emilie saw Luna and Hannah tense slightly and she knew that they were thinking about her reaction earlier to a similar subject. "I don't have one." Emilie said briefly.

"Oh? And why not?" Hermione pushed.

"Because I grew up in an orphanage, never knowing who my parents were. I was offered to pick my own last name but I didn't want to. I'd rather have no last name than one different from my parents" Emilie growled through clenched teeth, straining to not let her temper further rise.

Everyone stayed silent as they watched Emilie take slow deep breaths and slowly unclench her now slightly bleeding hands. Emilie thought she saw her teacher smile but when she made eye contact with him, the smile was gone.

"You're almost worse than Harry" Emilie heard the red headed boy mutter.

"What?" Emilie snapped causing the boy to shake his head, obviously a little frightened of Emilie.

Emilie was about to say something when a soft groan averted everyone's attention to the boy on the floor. For some reason, Emilie was now closest to Harry so, on instinct, she leant down to give Harry a hand. Emilie's flowing hair formed a curtain around the two. When Harry opened his eyes, a sense of familiarity ran through Emilie and it was evident in Harry's eyes that he felt it too. Emilie backed up swiftly as Harry sat up to rest on his elbows.

"What? What's wrong?" Hermione asked, noticing Emilie's sudden reaction.

"Nothing" Both Harry and Emilie responded softly, causing their glances to become more curious. Emilie scrambled to a standing position and when Harry tried to follow he ended up stumbling into Emilie. As soon as Harry made contact with her, Emilie could hear a faint tinkling sound, as if small bells were chiming. Emilie helped Harry onto the seats and immediately backed away as if he were infectious.

"Here, this will make you feel better" The teacher said, handing Harry a piece of chocolate. Harry looked at the piece of chocolate skeptically, as if wondering what it would really do before hesitantly taking the piece. The teacher then offered Emilie some, a sad smile evident in his eyes.

"Thanks" Emilie said smiling and shoving the piece of chocolate down her throat.

"I'm Professor Remus Lupin" Professor Lupin said, introducing himself and shaking Emilie's hand.

"I'm Emilie. What class will you be teaching?" Emilie asked kindly.

Professor Lupin was about to answer when the red headed girl quickly cut in saying, "Never mind that. What exactly just happened?"

Emilie shot a glare at the red head and swiftly looked around the room. Emilie gave a small gasp before breathing, "Dementors." Hannah must have heard Emilie for she went rigid and started turning pale.

"What?" The red headed boy asked, his mouth full with chocolate Professor Lupin had given him.

"Dementors," Professor Lupin repeated, "They guard Azkaban. They can suck basically all of the happiness from you and bring forward your worst fears. They thrive on fear and depression. They can drive a man mad." Suddenly the professor turned on Emilie with a quizzical look. "How did you know that?"

"I-I was curious. I had heard about them bu-but I di- I didn't believe something could do that. I took… a field trip to Azkaban," Emilie's eyes went blank as she played out the memory in her mind. "I was cold. I could hardly breath, it was as if I was choking on my own nightmares. Its faint, but I can still feel it."

As Emilie looked back into the eyes of the professor, she noticed that it was only him and the other boy with brown hair that were paying attention, all eyes were back on Harry. Not that she minded. Emilie smiled sadly and gave the professor a curt nod before slipping out of the compartment and dashing back into hers.

Emilie hated bringing forward that memory, it only mad her cold and sad. She tried thinking of something happier, like the fact that they'd be arriving at Hogwarts shortly where she'd be sorted and could start practicing magic again.

Hannah and Luna silently entered the compartment and sat down across from Emilie, Hannah still looking slightly shocked and Luna looking dazed, as usual. Emilie shot Hannah a curious look before speaking softly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Hannah answered, laughing slightly to herself, "Nothing at all," Hannah now had an awed type of grin on her face, as if she had just seen something truly spectacular.

"Okay…" Emilie gave Hannah an odd look before gazing back out the window, mirroring Luna.

"Hey Emilie," Luna said softly. "Is it possible that you could be related-" but Luna was cut off sharply by Hannah.

"To someone here? I mean, were you born in the UK? The orphanage must've had some clue of who you were, right?" Hannah finished, wringing her fingers slightly, as if it were a habit she was trying to get rid of.

Emilie thought for a moment; she had never been in any situation where her birth certificate was necessary nor had she ever boarded a plane or train. Her eyebrows furrowed as she spoke, "No, I don't actually know. I'd assume New York but, well you know what they say about assuming,"

"No," Hannah and Luna said simultaneously.

"Well- never mind," Emilie said, shaking her head. As her thoughts strayed back to the original question, Emilie felt her locket twirl in her finger tips. She honestly didn't know how she would respond if she were to find her family at Hogwarts. _Probably hex them and then go cry in a corner_, Emilie thought. One thing she did know was that if she did actually find her family at Hogwarts, it would answer her suspicions. She wasn't wanted, that was something she always knew, but there was always a lit bit of hope that her family was the Hogwarts loomed into sight, Emilie rid the sad thoughts from her mind and focused on a more happy thought. Magic.

Emilie followed Luna and Hannah off the train and onto the platform with all of the other bustling students. The three girls were wandering towards the carriages talking about their favorite foods when someone grabbed onto Emilie's wrist. Not expecting the sudden pull, Emilie crashed into the person who had latched onto her wrist. Quickly turning around, Emilie realized it was Cedric and almost face-palmed when she did. She forgot she was going to wait for Cedric.

"Making a hasty retreat I see." Cedric mocked, letting go of Emilie's wrist and crossing his arms, in mock disapproval.

"From someone like you? Of course not! I was just trying to get away from tha- Holy cow! That guys huge!" Emilie said pointing to a tall bearded man with a strong accent, who was rounding up all the first years.

"Him? That's just Hagrid, he's the grounds keeper. Wait until you meet Mr. Filch, he's a catch," Cedric answered smiling.

"What is he? A centaur?" Emilie asked jokingly.

"Nah, we keep those in the Forbidden Forest," Cedric said, turning Emilie back around and slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"You can't be serious? A forbidden forest right off the grounds? Might as well call it the 'Please Enter" Forest. Oh and I'm not an arm rest," Emilie rolled her eyes and shrugged Cedric's arm off her shoulder.

"Yes milady," Cedric said bowing.

"You're so weird."

"You're one to talk."

"I embrace the fact."

"So you admit that you're mental."

"I prefer crazy or delusional."

"Both seem to fit."

Aww! You're so nice," Their banter continued as they walked a little behind Hannah and Luna and ahead of Cedric's friends. As they approached the carriages, Emilie gasped and stopped in place.

"What?" Cedric asked.

"What are those?" Emilie asked softly, not wanting to alarm the large black winged horses.

"What's what Emilie?"Cedric asked, lightly grabbing her shoulder.

"Those! The horse things that are pulling the carriages," Emilie said, getting slightly impatient.

"Nothing's pulling the carriage Em," Emilie didn't respond, staring transfixed at the large beasts.

"Thestrals," Luna said, appearing on Emilie's other side. "They can only be seen by those who've seen death. Surprisingly not many students here can see them,"

"If I were them I wouldn't want to either," Emilie whispered, memories flooding her mind. Images of a certain red haired young boy were popping up in Emilie's mind. She directed her attention to Cedric as she felt her eyes start to well up.

"You going to ride with your friends?" Emilie asked. Cedric ignored her and looked into her eyes, searching for the cause of her tears. "Ced?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, come find me if you need anything though," Emilie nodded, accepting Cedric's small hug before he walked away.

Emilie walked back to where Luna and Hannah waited and climbed into the carriage with them. There were already three boys in the carriage when the girls climbed in; one was the other brunet boy Emilie had seen in Harry's compartment, one had dark skin and black hair, and the last had - hair and looked a bit Irish.

"I'm Emilie," Emilie said, introducing herself.

"I'm Neville Longbottom," Neville said, putting out his hand which Emilie happily shook.

"I'm Dean," The dark skinned boy said, nodding at her.

"Seamus," The Irish boy said curtly. "What year you in?"

"Third," Emilie said confidently.

"Same," Neville said enthusiastically, earning a smile form Emilie. "Do you know what House you're going to be in?"

"I don't know. I'm hoping Gryffindor but I wouldn't mind any of the others."

"Including Slytherin?" Seamus asked.

"Yeah," Seeing the shocked and disgusted faces of the boys Emilie continued. "Why? What's wrong with Slytherin?"

"Everything. All the kids that go there end up evil in the end," Seamus answered.

"I thought it was for those who are powerful and sly," Emilie said confused.

"It is, but most of the Slytherins are purebloods and most purebloods are prejudice," Neville said.

"But Neville, you and I are purebloods and we're not prejudice," Luna said softly.

Neville turned a bright shade of red before saying, "I said most! Here are a few who are the exception."

"Well I think saying that all Slytherins are evil is prejudice. There has to be at least one nice Slytherin," Emilie said exasperatedly.

"Not any that I've met." Seamus said.

"Well then, if I get sorted into Slytherin, I'll be the exception," Emilie said with a strong voice.

"Yeah, then you'll be the only Slytherin missing the signature smirk," Seamus huffed.

"Fine, then I'll be the Slytherin missing the mark."

**Tada! Hoped you liked! I'm sorry it took me such a long time to finish but I absolutely promise I'll be posting chapter 4 and 5 very soon. Hope you guys enjoy my writing, Keep reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, I'm typing this from memory since my sister threw out my originals so sorry for the crappiness of it! Still, I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 4:

The Grand Hall was as every bit magical as Emilie had hoped for. She had been greeted by Snape at the main doors and brought her into the extravagant room. The ceiling was as high as the sky and seemed to reflect the image of it too. Candles hung in midair and adorned the walls. There were four long tables that took up most of the space and another table at the very end which Emilie assumed to be the professors table.

Students roamed in, talking loudly and enthusiastically, as Snape brought Emilie to the professors table where a seat was placed next to his. Once Emilie sat down, she noticed that many kids were shooting her curious glances and pointing. Emilie smiled and waved at her new Ravenclaw friends, who sat down at one of the tables with other kids clad in blue, and to her Hufflepuff friend who sat amongst the yellow dressed students.

As the first years were brought in for the sorting, Emilie said quietly to Snape, "You never told me you were the Head of the Slytherin House,"

"The sorting is taking place, I recommend you be respectful and keep quiet for now," Snape said in a smooth voice, barely moving his lips.

"You could've told me," Emilie said, looking around.

"I must have forgotten," Snape answered.

"You didn't forget about my fear of the dark," She mumbled.

"You set my robes on fire, how exactly could I forget?" Snape said calmly, his lips twitching slightly.

"It was an accident!"

"Dumbledore told me I couldn't let your decision be biased." Snape sighed.

"What? Oh, I thought I was sorted? Oh please don't say I have to pick. I hate choosing one thing over another," Emilie whined.

"Yet your judgment is always good."

"Yeah but I haven't had to make any big decisions."

Snape was about to respond but was silenced as Dumbledore stood. "Attention students. We have a new student here from America who will be joining the third years. I ask of you all to be nice and help her if it's needed." Dumbledore said in a soft but loud voice.

Suddenly Emilie felt queasy as Dumbledore explained her reason of why she was now attending Hogwarts. Emilie rarely got nervous but as she stood and walked over to the small stool placed in front of the whole student body, she couldn't help but feel anxious.

Emilie was still uncertain of how a hat could properly sort the students, but as the hat was placed on her head, she no longer doubted it. _My, my isn't this odd? Coming a little late are we? I'm assuming you'd want to be in Gryffindor like your brother but I also see a lot of power, wisdom, and loyalty. Where to put you, where to put you._

_Brother?_ Emilie thought but was then sidetracked as she looked around at the four houses. She wouldn't mind being in any of them. In Hufflepuff she'd have Cedric, in Ravenclaw she'd have Hannah and Luna, and in Slytherin she'd have Snape. Emilie knew that she belonged in Gryffindor, it maybe where her family was, but she couldn't help but want to stick with Snape because he was her family now.

_Aha! I know what suits you best_ GRYFF-

_Wait!_ Emilie mentally screamed and suddenly the hat paused. _I want to be in Slytherin._

_A natural Gryffindor wants to be a Slytherin? Well aren't you an odd one. I see power and a cunning side but I don't know if Slytherin is best for you, _The hat commented.

_Please,_ Emilie begged.

_You are truly difficult to place Miss Emilie but I suppose you'll be a _SLYTHERIN! No applause was met as Emilie rose from the stool and smiled at Snape before calmly walking over to her fellow housemates. Cedric threw her a confused glance but she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled, sitting across from a boy about her age with very blonde hair.

After a moment of awkward silence, people slowly started to clap. Once the half-hearted clap was over and done with Dumbledore waved his hands and thus the feast began. Everyone dove in at once and Emilie was confused several times as she was asked to pass the pudding when she definitely knew there was no pudding.

Emilie felt eyes on her but continued to eat and hum quietly to herself. "What are you?" The boy sitting across from Emilie suddenly asked.

"Er- a witch?" Emilie said puzzled.

"No, what's your blood status?" The boy elaborated but she was still confused.

Emilie then remembered a conversation she had with a fellow classmate her previous year about blood status. There were purebloods, half-bloods, and muggleborns none of which Emilie knew was what she was. Answering honestly she replied, "I don't know. Bit of a personal question isn't it?"

"Must be a mudblood then," The boy sneered.

She was rather perplexed as to why the boy looked at her as if being a muggleborn was like being an anomaly. "What's wrong with being a muggleborn?"

"Everything. You don't belong,"

"Well if you wanted to be correct, _we_ don't belong. To my knowledge the world is half muggle half magic but the number of pure witches and wizards is slowly depleting. Meaning we are in a more muggle world. Now before we turn this into an all out brawl, be polite and tell me your name,"

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. I'm a pureblood,"

"Fantastic! Do you want an award for that? My name is Emilie and that's the only information you need to know," She said before looking back down at her plate and finishing her meal.

For the rest of the meal she ate in silence, Draco fuming slightly across from her. Once her plate was cleared, Emilie walked up to the prefect at the end of the table and asked for directions to the dorms. The prefect glared at her and sighed in exasperation but rose anyways. The prefect guided Emilie out of the main hall and into another hallway that led to some downward stairs. _In the dungeons, great,_ Emilie thought as she was led through a dimly lit hallway.

Once inside the Slytherin common room, which Emilie found out was under the lake, the prefect told her where her dorm was and preceded to leave with no further words. Emilie sighed and walked up the stairs to the correct room to find all of her stuff at the end of the bed at the far wall. After dropping off her messenger bag and putting on her Slytherin tie, Emilie left the Slytherin dorms quickly, deciding to roam the grounds.

When Emilie got back up to the main floor she found that dinner was finishing up and students were traveling to their dorms for the night. She weaved her way through the crowd to the main doors and snuck outside. The air was cool as she stepped outside, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Emilie slowly started to descend the front steps and walk towards the edge of the lawn. While on her little stroll, Emilie thought of a few things: her parents, her new house, and Harry.

Thinking about Harry shocked Emilie in a way as she had hardly known the kid, but she knew the name sounded eerily familiar. Perhaps Cedric mentioned him in one of his letters, but why would he have mentioned Harry? He's three years younger than Cedric. The thought of her parents, whoever they may be, always saddened Emilie but in some rare cases made her smile. In this case, it was making her sad. She wished she knew who they were and why she ended up in the orphanage, if they were dead wouldn't she have gone to a relative? Lastly, Emilie thought of her new house. She thought that maybe it was a bad decision to choose Slytherin rather than be actually sorted where her brother might be. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Emilie thought, hitting her forehead repeatedly. She forgot completely about that until now and now she may never know who her brother is.

By the time Emilie had stopped reprimanding herself for her forgetfulness, she had reached an isolated, tall, and odd looking tree. Noticing the thick branches and sturdy trunk, Emilie felt the urge to climb it and rest in one of the branches. She started approaching the tree when she heard shouts from behind her.

Five figures were running down the lawn towards her telling her to stop. "I'm not doing anything," Emilie huffed, crossing her arms. She was about to call back out to them when she heard creaking and moaning from behind her. Turning around Emilie was shocked and elated all at once. The tree was _alive_, but her smile of shock and brilliance was replaced with a frown when one of the tree's large branches started swinging towards her.

_Of course there would be an extremely deadly tree right on the school grounds,_ Emilie thought bitterly.

**Yes I know abrupt ending but whatever it's my story! So shut your trap HB, no one wants your input! Jk….. maybe. It makes me sad that this one was only a 1,540 words, my other chapters were longer Well sorry for the short and crappy chapter but the next will be better promise! Thanks for reading my story! Keep reading**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry it took a while to write but I'm a complete mess, I'm not gonna even give you my lame excuses. Well after a nice long break I hope you guys will like this chapter. Here's Chapter 5, enjoy!**

Chapter 5:

The branch swung at Emilie who managed to duck at the last moment. By the time she regained her balance, another branch was flying towards her. Emilie laughed shakily at her luck as she continued to dodge, duck, and jump, never thinking of moving out the trees reach.

"Emilie!" A voice called out, surprisingly close to her. Distracted by the sudden outburst, Emilie was knocked onto her back as a branch landed a blow to her stomach. Wincing in pain, she opened her closed eyes and shakily stood up on her throbbing ankle. Now realizing that she could use her wand, Emilie thrusted her hand into her pocket only to find it empty. At this point the branch was swinging back down and Emilie knew that he she had stood up a little too late. Any way she moved would land her a blow most likely to the head. With her brain a little fuddled, she simply closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

Instead, Emilie felt arms wrap around her waist and jerk her backwards rather harshly. Opening her eyes, Emilie noticed she was just out of the trees reach. "Are you barking mad?" A voice above her shouted angrily. Her eyes focused on the four faces that came into view. She noticed that one was Hermione Granger and another was the red head boy from the compartment. The other two, Emilie thought, must've been the red head boy's twin brothers.

"I'm not barking nor am I mad. In a little pain sure, but not mad," She responded, causing the younger red heads face to match his hair and the twins to snicker.

"Americans," he huffed in annoyance.

"Honestly Ronald. She's probably the first American you've ever met," Hermione stated.

"So?" Ronald asked, his voice a few octaves higher.

"Sorry to interrupt, but why is the ground moaning?" Emilie asked, still lying down in fear of hurting herself further by getting up.

"That's not the ground you're laying on-" One twin answered, "That's Harry," The other twin finished.

Shooting up into a sitting position and painfully scooting away from him, Emilie turned to look at Harry with apologetic eyes. "I'm so sorry- I didn't realize- Thank you," She said softly.

"No problem," Harry answered, brushing himself off as he stood. "Are you okay?"

"I think I might have broken a few things," Emilie said, lying back down and staring up at the sky, "It kinda hurts to move."

"We should get you to the hospital wing," Harry said, putting his hand out for her.

Emilie sat up but shook her head. "I have to find my wand first. I must've dropped it when I was fighting that tree," Suddenly she groaned and put her head between her knees.

"What? What's wrong?" Harry and Hermione asked worriedly.

"Nothing, I just- I just realized I fought with a tree and lost. That'll be a good story to tell my kids one day," Emilie said, laughing at herself and causing the twins to roar with laughter.

"Merlin Harry, she's worse than you!" One twin announced. "Yeah, first day here and she's already got herself into trouble. With a tree no less," The other twin pointed out.

"Oh shut up," Harry said but with a smile on his face.

"Oh! I didn't mean to be rude, I'm Emilie," She said to the twins.

"We know who you are," The twins said simultaneously. "He's George-" "And he's Fred," They said introducing each other. "Both Weasley's."

"And are you related to him?" Emilie asked, pointing to Ronald.

"Yeah, that's Ron, our little baby brother," Fred, or maybe George, answered, cooing at Ron who was again bright red. Looking closely, Emilie tried to look for something to distinguish the difference between the twins. She noticed a freckle on Georges left ear that Fred didn't have on his and a small scar on Fred's right hand.

"Alright, we'll go get your wand and Fred and George will take you to the Hospital Wing," Harry said, walking cautiously toward the tree.

"Alright. My wand is willow, eleven inches, pliable with a phoenix feather core. A little dark for willow and it has vine carvings only on the first inch at the base," Emilie called out after the trio.

"You really had to tell them all that?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, just so they know it's my wand," She answered.

"Well it's not like they're going to be finding many other wands lying about," George said, reaching out his hand for her.

"Oh hush," She said, ignoring George's helpful hand and tried getting up on her own. As soon as Emilie put pressure on her foot, she was back down on the ground hissing in pain.

"Look Harry! She speaks parseltongue too!" Fred shouted.

"Don't shut up and you'll be speaking in parseltongue too," Emilie mumbled, rubbing her ankle gingerly.

"Stop teasing her and just take her to the Hospital Wing," Hermione chastised.

"We're going, we're going," Fred said, "Yeah, don't get your knickers in a twist," George finished earning an eye roll from Hermione.

The twins carefully helped Emilie, her arms draped around Fred and George's shoulders and their arms wrapped securely around her waist to hold up her petite frame. "Why the heck is there a deadly tree right on school grounds anyway?" She mumbled, earning a chuckle from Fred and George.

Hopping along with the twins lumbering on beside her, the adrenaline started to slowly make its way out of Emilie's system, causing all the pain to gradually settle in. The three students had been able to make it all the way to the hallway leading up to the Infirmary before they came upon another, this person being the last any of them had wanted to see.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Seems you already befriended the dirty Weasleys. Told you you were more suited to be a Gryffindor," Malfoy sneered.

"Shut your mouth Malfoy. I've taken enough crap today to last a century," Emilie retorted half-heartedly.

"What happened to you? Did you fall of a broom or did you stupidly crash into a wall?"

"No and I'm probably ten times more graceful on a broom and my own two feet than you. I may be a beater but I've been told I've got more of a chasers or seekers physique," She said drowsily, the pain really starting to take a toll.

"You don't look so good," Malfoy said, taking a cautious step back with a mixture of emotions laced lightly in his voice. The Slytherin was confused at how to completely react to this new student. She was nice, a trait few Slytherins ever carried, and her lineage was unknown but she was a Slytherin after all and while Slytherins were mostly known for caring about only themselves, they tended to watch out for fellow Slytherins. She may have acted in various ways like a Gryffindor, but the hat had sorted her into Slytherin, and the hat had yet to be wrong. _Well maybe with that Neville Longbottom,_ Draco thought.

"She'll survive, just had a pretty nasty encounter with the Whomping Willow," Fred said softly, moving his weight from foot to foot with anticipation. Emilie was really starting to look rather awful.

"I wasn't talking to you," Malfoy snapped, "Looks like she really put up a fight though."

"I would've won too if these idiots didn't distract me," Emilie breathed. "Now come on, bleeding girl here in need of medical attention! Hop to it!" The Weasleys shook their heads at the girl fighting to stay awake and up straight and continued on their not so merry way. Upon reaching the Hospital Wing, they found Madam Pomfrey, Harry, and Hermione looking slightly distraught.

"My goodness! What have you done to the poor girl. First day here and you Gryffindors have already hexed her for being a Slytherin. Honestly, I will do not, nor ever will, understand the house rivalries," Madam Pomfrey said, muttering her last sentence.

"We've been waiting here for hours! What took you so long?" Ron complained.

"Came across the bloody git Malfoy, not my fault these two started bickering," George said, helping Fred bring Emilie over to an awaiting cot.

"Now, tell me, what exactly happened?" Madam Pomfrey questioned.

"She got into a fight with a tree and lost," Fred answered jokingly. When no one laughed Fred mumbled, "Just trying to lighten the mood."

"What's you name again Miss?" Madam Pomfrey asked Emilie.

"Emilie. Just Emilie," Emilie said.

"Emilie, how are you feeling? What hurts?"

"I'm actually feeling quite well. If you'll excuse me, I have to go find someone," Emilie started to get up but was gently pushed down by most of those around her.

"Oh you're not going anywhere Miss Emilie. You'll be staying right here for the next night or so," Madam Pomfrey said sternly.

"But we have class tomorrow!" Emilie urged, yawning as fatigue started overcoming her. "I can't miss out on my first day of classes."

"You are staying her and resting. End of discussion."

"But I'm not even-" And as if on cue, Emilie's eyes started to droop and in a matter of moments she was out like a light, five young faces looking at her with amusement and worry.

**I hope you guys liked it! I know it was a little short and kind of pointless but whatever deal. Hope you all had a wonderful break! HUNGER GAMES IN 25 MORE DAYS! Haha, keep on reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**There are no words to describe how sorry I am. There's been school and work and I had a lot of trouble with this chapter so bear with me. Once this is through though, I have the next few chapters all set and ready to go! So keep reading and enjoy!**

Chapter 6

_Red hair. Falling. Her name. Her fault._ It was early morning when Emilie was violently awoken by her own dream, the light around her casting eerie shadows. She pushed away the fear and panic that was building up inside her and took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Looking at the room around her, it took a while to remember that she was in the Hospital Wing and why she was in there in the first place. Feeling antsy, she hesitantly put her bare feet on the cold ground. There was still quite a bit of pain in her right ankle when she stood on it, but the pain didn't cease her curiosity and determined nature.

_Now where would the gauze be?_ Emilie asked herself, wanting to wrap up her ankle before heading to her dorm to make a quick healing potion. As she approached the cabinet towards the back of the infirmary, she had to bite her tongue to stop the groan that threatened to escape her lips from the throbbing pain in her abdomen. Even as everything started to shake and get blurry due to exhaustion, Emilie continues to trudge forward.

"Well aren't you a stubborn one," a voice to the left of Emilie called. Madame Pomfrey. "Now come on, back to bed for you."

"But Madame Pomfrey, it's the first day of classes _and_ I'm a new student. I was hoping I would be well enough to find a housemate to show me to my classes," Emilie argued but followed anyways.

"A Slytherin willingly help someone and not for their own benefit? Ha! That'll be the day," Madame Pomfrey muttered as she started wrapping Emilie's ankle with the gauze she was trying to get.

"What? What do you mean?" Emilie asked, hissing a little at the tightness of the gauze.

"Oh nothing dear, nothing. You'll learn soon enough. Let's just hope I don't see you in here as much as I see Mr. Potter."

"Why is Harry always in here?" Emilie asked as Madame Pomfrey quickly went to her cabinet to get out a jar of healing cream.

Madame Pomfrey started applying the healing cream to all of Emilie's scars and wounds as she continued, "That boy is just a beacon for danger. Can't seem to stay out of trouble that one. Still a good boy though, hardly ever fights and isn't as bad as some of those other rowdy Gryffindors."

"Like whom?"

"Like those Weasley's twins. I nearly thought they were the ones who did this to you," Emilie's eyes widened and darkened at the thought.

"Fred and George are bullies?" Emilie asked incredulously.

"Oh no, not bullies. Pranksters. Yet sometimes their pranks either go amiss or the wrong person ends up on the end of it."

"Do they always prank the new kid? Or just Slytherins?"

"They prank or mess with the first years a bit but they reserve most of their pranks for the Slytherin crew," Madame Pomfrey explained as she went to the cabinet again, this time to get a potion.

"Why Slytherins?"

Madame Pomfrey hesitated, wondering if her response would cause any harm. Handing Emilie the glass Madame Pomfrey started slowly, "At schools there is always competition and tension among the students. There just happens to be a lot of it between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors. The Ravencalws and Hufflepuffs usually try to stay out of it."

"And why don't they like each other?"

"Slytherins are mostly purebloods and are quite prejudice and they can be rather cruel to the type of people they don't think belong. Gryffindors, while not being as loyal or friendly as the Hufflepuff House, like everyone just the same and usually hate bullies. Therefore they hate the Slytherins. This rivalry has been going on for such a long time, it's nearly expected by now."

Emilie's eyes widened in horror. Of course she had picked the House that not only didn't want her but also one that she certainly didn't belong to amid a group full of bullies. Noticing Emilie's horror, Madame Pomfrey immediately started to console her, "But Slytherins aren't all bad. Some are very powerful and well respected people in the Wizarding Community. Brilliant too. And I can't dismiss the fact that Gryffindors are just as willing to get in a row with a Slytherin as they are start them. Which is quite often might I add."

Feeling only slightly better, Emilie could now only think of now wishing she had asked to be in the Hufflepuff House with Cedric. Sighing dejectedly, she lied down. "When am I allowed to leave?"

"Well last night you fell asleep before I was able to administer any potions so I had to make do with wand work and creams. So I suppose I could give you a quick healing potion and let you off, as long as you come back for lunch so I can check on you. And take it easy, understood?" Emilie smiled brightly, nodding enthusiastically. In a flash, she had downed her potion and was up and out of the Hospital Wing, shouting a quick 'Thank you!' as she went.

Emilie raced to her dorm, thankful for not getting lost, and took a quick fifteen minute shower. After using a quick drying and lotioning charm, she was changed and out the door before even one of her room mates stirred.

Before going to breakfast, Emilie walked to the Potions Chamber (the one place she made sure to ask the Prefect about) and quickly brewed another pain relieving potion and another healing draught for the day. By the time she finished and reached the dining hall, the room was nearly full of students. She spotted Malfoy at the center of a large group of Slytherins laughing as he mockingly fainted, and calling to the Gryffindor table at Harry. The next person Emilie saw was Cedric, sitting at the Hufflepuff table eating as he peered down at his newspaper. For a moment she just stood there frozen, unsure if she should sit amongst her housemates or sit with Cedric and clue him in on what happened the previous night.

Knowing she could no longer contain the excitement of her first day, Emilie walked towards the Hufflepuff table. She plopped down right next to Cedric with a big smile only to receive gasps and disdainful noises from the people around her. Emilie looked around to find most of the Great Hall looking at the lone Slytherin sitting at the Hufflepuff table. "Why is everyone staring?" Emilie whispered to Cedric.

"Because you're a Slytherin sitting at the Hufflepuff table. Didn't I tell you about the house divisions?" Cedric said, ignoring the stares and whispers going on around them and smiling at his slightly oblivious friend.

"Yeah but I thought you guys were all for house unity and stuff like that."

"Yeah, I suppose but the world just loves to contradict itself doesn't it?" Cedric laughed.

Emilie laughed lightly and shook her head, smiling at her good friend. "Oh hey, so guess what!" She said excitedly.

"You found the Whomping Willow."

At that Emilie frowned, "How did you know?"

"The scratches," Cedric said gesturing to her face and arms. Emilie only now just noticed that she was covered in random scratches, how had she missed that in the morning she had no clue. "Plus I can read your mind."

"Fine what am I thinking of now?" She challenged, a smug look on her face.

"Draco," He answered lightly, a dazzling grin plastered on his face.

Emilie visibly recoiled at the statement. "Out of every possible thing I could be thinking of, what would make you even consider the soon to be bane of my existence?"

"Second day and you've already made an enemy?" Cedric joked.

"Hardly, we have simply just discovered that neither of us quite like the other."

"Fair enough. Well anyways, Draco was the one who told nearly the whole school that you had a pretty nasty encounter with the beloved tree so I bet now you're thinking of him." Cedric finished, smiling triumphantly.

Emilie's eyes narrowed at the Hufflepuff, "I hate you."

"No you don't." Cedric said, turning away to continue eating. Emilie rolled her eyes and looked about, suddenly remembering that all eyes were on her.

"I think I might go to my own table for breakfast now," Emilie said, slowly starting to get up and earning a somewhat startled look from Cedric. She looked over at her own table and noticed the glares directed at her and changed her mind. Grabbing an apple and a scone, Emilie simply decided to head to class instead of possibly facing the wrath of her own housemates.

When she left the Great Hall a thought struck her, _I don't have my schedule._ Emilie turned around swiftly to renter the Great Hall and get her schedule from Severus when she collided into another student. Both were sent backwards, landing not so lightly on the ground with an audible '_oof_ '.

"Sorry," Emilie and whoever she crashed into chorused. Looking up, she realized that she crashed into Harry.

Chuckling to himself Harry got up and stuck out a hand to her, "We always seem to be running into each other, don't we?"

"Literally," Emilie responded, gratefully taking Harrys hand. "Sorry again about that, I was just going back in to get my schedule. Seems I forgot to get one."

"Well if you go back now you might be late. The new courses are the first classes for third years today. Do you know what course you selected?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Arithmancy. It's like math class right?" Emilie asked.

"I believe so. I'm afraid we have Divination and don't know where your class is, sorry."

"No worries, thanks for at least helping me there. I'll get my schedule during lunch," With a small wave to Harry, Hermione, and Ron Emilie started walking up the stairs in a direction she hoped was the right one.

After a minute or so of aimless wandering, Emilie ran into Hermione. "Hermione, I thought you had Divination?"

Hermione was startled at first at seeing Emilie but then let out a deep breath, "I have Arithmancy actually."

"Oh, then do you know where the classroom is?" Emilie asked, slightly puzzled.

"Yes, of course. It's this way," Hermione said stiffly, walking down a different hallway.

"Do you know who our teacher is supposed to be?" Emilie asked, trying to make small talk.

"Professor Vector," Hermione answered curtly. Judging by the way Hermione was responding Emilie guessed that either she was bothering Hermione or the Gryffindor was simply nervous.

"Is there something wrong Hermione?"

"No," Hermione answered a little too quickly, "Nothing at all."

"You're a muggleborn right Hermione?" Emilie asked.

"Yes," Hermione answered briskly, "Is there anything wrong with that?"

Noticing the challenging tone in her voice, Emilie quickly responded, "No, not at all. I just wanted to know because if you were then you'll already know quite a bit more than the halfbloods and purebloods wont you?"

"If you're asking me to help you do better in this class then-" Hermione started snapping but was cut off by Emilie who quickly rushed to her own defense.

"Relax Hermione, I'm not asking for help. I was raised by muggles, I was just thinking it would be nice for the both of us to already have a better understanding of the subject than some of the other students," Emilie said somewhat softly.

"You're- you're not a muggleborn are you?" Hermione asked, slowing her pace a bit to walk more comfortably with Emilie.

"Not quite sure. I was dropped off in an orphanage when I was one. So I suppose I'm a muggleraised huh?" Emilie asked, trying to make a joke and earning a small laugh from Hermione.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm quite surprised that A Slytherin like you could be so nice," Hermione admitted almost sheepishly.

"Yeah, I suppose I'm not the best Slytherin huh? Maybe I should have chosen Hufflepuff," Emilie mused. Hermione looked at her strangely and was about to say something when they reached their classroom. "Here we are!" Emilie said happily, walking right on into class.

**Viola, chapter 6. I knew there are a few problems with her schedule and such but whatever. Im sorry that its been such a long time since I last updated, Im finally starting to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for your patience and keep reading!**


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